What the Heart Needs (10 page)

When Dan interrupted, he felt a moment of genuine disappointment, not to mention anger at having to spend another moment in Dan’s company. She had already been demanding of him all evening.

He was glad to see James sweep in and get her out of the room in a fashion he never could have pulled off.

“Where’s Hannah?” he asked an hour later when he saw James come back into the room.

“I took her home,” James said, holding a new glass of scotch. He looked over Elliott’s shoulder at Bob Tanner. “Do you know he went up to her and was asking her how she would pleasure him?”

Elliott’s breath hissed out of him and he turned from his brother and walked over to Bob. “I need you to leave,” he said simply. At Bob’s outraged expression, he took his arm and led him toward the door. “When you are in my house, I expect to conduct yourself like a gentlemen. As that was not the case this evening. Get out of my house.” The firmness in his voice allowed for no argument and Bob walked out the front door.

“For her,” Dan’s voiced asked behind him. “Really, Elliott? I expected better from you.”

Elliott took another drink and wondered what the hell had gotten into him.

Seven

Hannah woke up late Saturday morning still wearing her dress from the night before. Her head hurt and she made a mental note that she needed to increase her tolerance to alcohol so she could avoid a hangover from only three drinks.

Though to be honest, she had never possessed a strong tolerance. The first time she had gotten absolutely silly, cant-see-straight drunk in high school she had only had two beers. And college had been mostly late night studying and coffee dates with friends with only a party every month or two.

She walked over to the window to close the curtain, when something on her street caught her eye. Her car. Maybe James had brought it back late the night before. Hannah drew the curtains and slipped out of her dress into an oversized t-shirt and old, soft jeans. She curled up on the couch with a bottle of water and aspirin and wished she had called to have her cable turned back on. She couldn’t think of a better way to spend her weekend then curled up watching a movie marathon and completely forgetting the outside world.

Instead, she called home. She talked to her mother, her father, her best friend, anyone she could think of in Stars Landing that she missed. And she practically missed them all.

--

Monday rolled around quickly and Hannah was dreading going to work. The more she rolled the memories of Friday night around in her head, the more she cringed. She really had overreacted and then she had drug EM and James into her business. She felt silly and girlish for actually having broken down into tears at her boss’ event.

Hannah walked into the lobby, nervously ready for her day. “You didn’t call,” Tad accused, walking up to her and handing her a coffee cup.

She accepted it gratefully, looking at the empty desks that would soon be filled with busy women. “It didn’t go very well, Tad. I really don’t want to talk about it.”

Tad looked at her a second and something knowing came into his eyes, like he had already pieced it all together himself. He noticed her throwing nervous glances at EM’s office and patted her shoulder. “He has court today, remember?”

Hannah felt the rush of relief wash over her. Thank god. She could just throw herself into her work and not have to worry about an awkward morning interaction.

He finally tore into the office in the late afternoon. She heard him slam the door to his office and drop his briefcase onto his desk. Everything about the movement on the other side of her office door seemed angry.

She opted out of running to get him a cup of coffee and stayed focused on yet another business trip she had to plan, to North Dakota of all places.

“Coffee,” EM’s voice blared through her office, making her jump and lose the papers in her hands. She cursed the invention of the office intercom as she picked the scattered pages up again.

Part of her wanted to be offended at the rudeness, though she knew she was supposed to have had coffee to him already. The other part of her was relieved. If he was being harsh and demanding, then things were back to normal. There would be no more strange, long stares. No more offers of food or wine. No more feeling the hard line of his body pressed up against her while they danced. And certainly no more crying and making a total fool of herself.

A part of her also went out to him. He had spent hours in court. After meeting Dan, she had no misconceptions about the relationship. Dan was clearly a very clever and conniving woman. She knew what she wanted and she wasn’t about to take no for an answer. Judging by the way Dan had acted at the party, she doubted the divorce was her idea let alone something she was about to go along with without a fight.

Suddenly she wondered about how, exactly, she had gotten a man like Elliott Michaels to walk down the aisle. Was it simply a matter of business? Trying to get whatever her father had? Had she faked a pregnancy- clichéd and trashy as that seemed? Or had there been an actual relationship that had bloomed and turned into something more than his usual weekend fling? Had he actually loved her?

Hannah cringed at the idea of someone being able to love someone as cold and calculated as Dan. But then again… EM himself could likely be described as such by many most of the people he came into contact with. It was possible there was a time that the two saw something similar in each other and thought to join alliances. James had said it was a terrible marriage. Hannah thought back to cleaning EM’s house and looking for a blow dryer. There hadn’t been the slightest trace of makeup or clothing or even a feminine touch. Except, she reminded herself, all the bath goodies and the dryer itself.

Had she actually used Dan’s old bath salts and soap? Or did EM just keep those supplies stocked in case of overnight guests? One-night stands or flings?

She dropped his coffee on his desk, taking comfort at his usual grunt of appreciateion and no further discussion. Maybe she was making a bigger deal out of everything than she needed to. Hopefully EM had had a few more drinks (of straight whiskey, she had learned) after she had left and he only had a foggy reccollection of the whole thing.

--

Elliott had stormed into his office in a foul mood. Dan had been late to court and dragged out every dirty thing she could think of to pin on him. Her father had provided her with their company’s law firm and they were just as big of sharks as his own. Her favorite new tactic was calling him out on infidelity despite her own extensive list of lovers during their short marriage. She even had the audacity to bring in examples of the night of the party and how he had danced with another woman. Everyone dismissed the idea, dancing wasn’t cheating. But it wasn’t helping his case any either.

She wanted to rake him over the coals for money. There was no doubt that had always been her motive. She had been in search of a rich husband and when she somehow managed to rope him in, she showed her true colors. And when he wouldn’t stand for her nonsense and filed for divorce, she decided to fight him tooth and nail despite only having been together for a few months.

Dan had an easy motive. Elliott had done business with her father since almost the birth of EM Corporation and Elliott probably knew him better than his daughter did. He was a self-made man from a very poor background who had worked very hard to bring himself up in society. He also had a tight fist on his finances. There was always that worry of losing it all. It was a feeling Elliott understood all too well. As such, Dan was only allotted a certain amount of money every month. And while Elliott wasn’t sure of the exact amount, he was certain it was more than enough to provide her with a very nice lifestyle. But for Dan, it was just never enough.

He sat down at his desk and waited for Hannah to pop her head in and drop off the coffee he needed so desperately. He heard her shuffling around in her office. He waited ten, fifteen minutes. And she didn’t come.

It wasn’t like her to slack off. There was no doubt in his mind that she had heard him come in. He certainly hadn’t been quiet. It was even harder for him to wrap his mind around the idea that she was deliberately not bringing his coffee.

Finally he punched his thumb down on the intercom button and practically growled his demand into it.

She came in less than two minutes later and placed his mug on the desk while simultaneously grabbing his pile of paperwork and scurrying back into her office. She hadn’t even looked him in the eye.

For the first time in hours, he felt his anger deflate a bit. Maybe she was having some feelings about the party at his house. He shouldn’t have danced with her. He should have made sure that one of his drunk and idiotic guests hadn’t upset her. Hell, he probably just shouldn’t have insisted she be there at all.

And there was no way he could bring up the topic that wouldn’t be embarrassing for the both of them.

With a sigh of a long-suffering man, he set his mind to his work for the day. Only it was a task much easier said than done. His mind kept wandering back to seeing Hannah walk into his office after her impressively long bath. She had been absolutely stunning. More beautiful than he could express in that pink dress. And with her hair down. To her waist. He had known it was long but hadn’t realized just how long. There was just something incredibly sexy about long, sleek hair that made your hands itch to run their fingers through it.

And the feel of her soft body pressed up against him as they danced.

And how much more easily she connected with James. It had been a bone of contention between the two brothers since they were teenagers. While women flocked to him, he never found it as easy to connect with them. Then there was James who could make any female eight to eighty-eight giggle within five minutes of talking to them.

Why he wanted to have easier conversations with his assistant was another issue. He wasn’t supposed to go there. She was too valuable to him in the office to be constantly fantasizing about getting her into his bed.

Hannah had worked nonstop since she got into the office. A text chimed on her phone, and when she checked it, she realized it was already well after seven at night. Her stomach growled angrily and her eyes hurt from squinting at her computer screen. She was going to need glasses in less than a year if she wasn’t careful.

She stood, walking to the side of her desk. The door to EM’s office opened behind her and she turned, startled. For some reason she had expected him to already be gone for the day. And certainly not coming to look for her.

He looked tired. He had pulled his grey and black tie loose and his hair actually seemed a bit shaggy. His piercing blue eyes looked small and sleep-deprived. She had never seen him look quite so human before.

He stopped abruptly as if he hadn’t expected her to be there. Or maybe be so close.

Hannah felt her thighs push against the desk behind her. He still hadn’t said anything, just stood there looking down at her with a look she couldn’t quite explain. But the memories of that same look on his face when they were in the library and of when he had fixed her computer flashed into her mind and she could feel her cheeks warming.

He saw a slight blush come over her face and he realized he was staring and had been for almost a full minute already.

Then she looked down at her feet and bit her lip and he didn’t know what came over him but he stepped forward, pushing her against her desk.

She felt his body suddenly pressed close to her and his arm went behind her back, pulling her against him. She looked up then, as if she would find answers on his face. Instead she saw desire. That was the look she couldn’t find a name for before. His eyes looked almost closed, his gaze piercing into hers.

Her stomach flipped when she realized what was about to happen. Her heart was hammering in her chest and she felt her breath come only in shallow waves. Then his free hand reached out and stroked her jawbone.

Hannah’s mouth fell open on a sigh, heat flooding her stomach and she felt a rush of desire that she hadn’t even known she was capable of feeling before.

She saw the decision be made a split second before his face lowered to hers. His lips captured hers quickly and with gentle pressure. His arm pulled her tighter as she melted against him. His mouth pressed harder on hers and her arms went up around his neck, pulling him closer.

Her mouth opened on a moan and his tongue slipped inside to find hers, stroking it with such soft insistance that she whimpered against his mouth.

Elliott’s arms went around her as he deepened the kiss and pulled her with him to the sofa. He pulled her down on top of him, his hand finding the back of her head and he held her against him. He nipped her lower lip and felt a tremble shake her whole body.

Hannah’s hands were on either side of Elliott’s head. She could feel his stubble raking across the soft skin on her face and she felt heat fill her body.

Elliott shifted, suddenly pulling her body under his and Hannah felt his body press her into the couch. One of his legs kneeled on the outer edge of the couch, the other was wedged between her thighs. His fingers were tangled in her hair and he grabbed it and pulled, forcing her head to the side and his lips abandoned her lips to trace a line across her jawbone. Then down her throat where he stopped, nipping and sucking on the sensitive skin until she was moaning. She squirmed beneath him and felt his hardness pressing against her thigh.

Elliott groaned when she raised her hips up to his and his mouth found hers again, pressing roughly, taking the kiss from intense to demanding in a second. Hannah’s arms went around him and she wrapped one of her legs around his waist. She felt herself shamelessly pressing against his hard-on, trying to get relief from the fist of desire building in her core. At her gentle exploration, Elliott shifted so his desire would find hers and she moaned and trembled when his cock finally pressed against the sensitive juncture of her thighs. Her legs tightened around him.

And then her phone blasted suddenly and they both jumped and pulled away like cold water had just rained down upon them. Hannah pulled herself off the couch and scrambled away toward her desk.